Graham Napier

[worbod]

English county player Graham Napier has just made a century off 47 balls for Essex at the beginning of the 2012 English first class season. Admittedly it was against one of the weaker university teams, but it ranks as one of the fastest known first class tons in terms of balls received. Some of the other best recorded instances not scored off declaration bowling are:


34 David Hookes (107) South Australia vs Victoria, Adelaide, 1982-83
45 Robin Hobbs (100) Essex vs Australians, Chelmsford, 1975
45 Lance Cairns (110) Otago vs Wellington, Lower Hutt, 1979-80
45 Shakti Singh (128) Himachal Pradesh vs Haryana, Dharmsala, 1990-91
45 Angus Mackay (108) Mashonaland vs Matabeleland, Bulawayo, 2001-02
45 Mark Ealham (112*) Nottinghamshire vs M. C. C., Lord’s, 2006
46 Gilbert Jessop (101) Gloucestershire vs Yorkshire, Harrogate, 1897
48 Ian Botham (122) England XI vs Central Zone, Indore, 1981-82
48 Viv Richards (102) Somerset vs Glamorgan, Taunton, 1986
50 Viv Richards (100) West Indians vs Glamorgan, Swansea, 1980
50 Ian Botham (138*) Somerset vs Warwickshire, Edgbaston, 1985

 

[steviej]

Also has a score over 150 in t20 cricket, not sure on exacts.

 

[The Passenger]

already had this discussion in other threads but i can't believe these games are counted as first class games.

the opposition had a combined 49 games first class experience coming into the game, and a total of 96 first class wickets between them (after the game, 84 wickets before the game). Essex had five individuals with over 100 first class games, and a further three over 50 first class games, and five guys with over 100 first class wickets.

these games are just total mismatches and generally nothing but stat padders for the first class players.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/county-cricket-2012/engine/match/542462.html

http://www.espncricinfo.com/county-cricket-2012/engine/match/542462.html?view=averages

it does beg the question of what australia should do about all the first class games involving south australia

 

[The_Reaper]

Oxford Uni etc against first class teams are only given first class status for historical reasons.

I can't imagine they'd be much worse than first class teams in Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka - who have over 20 first class teams!

 

[worbod]

Also has a score over 150 in t20 cricket, not sure on exacts.

He scored 152 not out off 58 balls for Essex vs Sussex on June 24, 2008. There were 10 fours and 16 sixes.

 

[The Passenger]

Oxford Uni etc against first class teams are only given first class status for historical reasons.

I can't imagine they'd be much worse than first class teams in Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka - who have over 20 first class teams!

the teams are likely no worse i agree, but those first class teams are only playing against themselves at the same level. they don't, or rarely, come against vastly superior teams for whom they are just cannon fodder for....

for mine, first class cricket should only be tests, and the top level of 3 and 4 day games within each of those test nations, and then obviously touring games between test teams and those provinces, "a" games etc,.

basically the same system as it is in australia. but there are all sorts of random games that get first class status in england, south africa and i think india's system isn't exactly straightforward...

 

[Ill Chicken]

Sydney and Melbourne Premier Grade would be equal to the majority of first class cricket around the world.

 

[worbod]

the teams are likely no worse i agree, but those first class teams are only playing against themselves at the same level. they don't, or rarely, come against vastly superior teams for whom they are just cannon fodder for....

for mine, first class cricket should only be tests, and the top level of 3 and 4 day games within each of those test nations, and then obviously touring games between test teams and those provinces, "a" games etc,.

basically the same system as it is in australia. but there are all sorts of random games that get first class status in england, south africa and i think india's system isn't exactly straightforward...

In addition, we should eliminate these limp wristed three day games on tour where 12 or 13 can play but only 11 can bat. A three day game such as the one we have played in West Indies before the first Test should be first class only. If we want to allow as many players as possible to have a warm up, schedule an extra first class game or two. See how well this worked for England on their Ashes tour.

 

[Wallaby]

England has pretty much got rid of the 'festival' first-class matche that used to be dotted around the landscape. They all had a valuable part to play back when, but now they are anachronistic.

In the late 1800s up to about WW2 the universities were a great concept. Cricket was still a bit of an elitist sport, and few top players earned money from it (a deliberate decision - gentlemen vs players). As a result, there was no incentive to automatically go full-time at a county.

So the unis became a sort of 'young all-stars' - they were very exciting teams and captured the public's imagination. Traditionally, they had the great young batsmen, but their bowling was always pretty weak.

The idea of playing first class games against the touring teams came about as a money-maker - with no tv coverage and no sponsorship, the game against the Touring sides (particularly the Australians) was often the biggest single event in the county's calendar. Stars like Bradman were under enormous pressure to play every county game - you could basically add at least 50% to the gate if he played. Not entirely dissimilar to Tendulkar today.

Then in the late 70s when the counties had local one-day comps on TV to get their money from, the touring match actually became an irrelevance. Counties started playing their young kids, the stars definitely did not play - it became a bit like the NAB cup. It therefore became rather useless for the tourists.

 

[Dipper]

Napier just took 5/58 in a county game, once upon a time he would have been heralded as the next Botham and ushered into the Test team, only to flounder with both bat and ball.

 

[The_Reaper]

Napier just took 5/58 in a county game, once upon a time he would have been heralded as the next Botham and ushered into the Test team, only to flounder with both bat and ball.

Australia will take him.